A personal flotation device (often referred to as PFD, but also known as a life saver, life jacket, life preserver, Mae West, life vest, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a device designed to assist the wearer to keep afloat when, for any unanticipated reason, he/she ends up in the water. Life vests are designed to keep a wearer's head above water and help him/her remain in a position that permits proper breathing. Life vests are known to have saved lives in a variety of situations; for example, when a boat capsized in rough water, when a boat sank in unexpectedly heavy seas, when a boater was accidentally thrown from a boat as a result of excessive wave action or a collision, and when a wearer was unable to swim as his/her clothing became waterlogged.
Life vests are made in a variety of forms and sizes to accommodate body sizes of wearers and variances in body weight. Designs will vary depending upon the circumstances the boater may encounter, and on the convenience preferred for various levels of protection. However, all life jackets must conform to standards required by a number of agencies: The U.S. Coast Guard, ISO/CEN (International Organization for Standards/European Committee for Standardization), IMO/SOLAS (International Maritime Organization/Safety of Life at Sea), and a variety of federal and state regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard mandates that life vests be U.S.C.G. approved, in good and serviceable condition, and the appropriate size for the intended user. Life vests must be supplied on commercial seafaring vessels, military vessels, pleasure crafts and carried on airplanes that travel over water.
Life vests often feature either a singular air chamber or a pair of sealed air chambers constructed of coated nylon with a protective outer encasing of heavier, tougher material such as vinyl. These air chamber vests are commonly referred to as inflatable life jackets or life vests. They are available in a variety of styles and generally more comfortable and less bulky to store or wear than the traditional foam vests, and therefore provide advantages of being compact, light-weight, easily stored and transported when in a deflated state, and less expensive to purchase.
The air chambers within inflatable life vests are located over the breast, across the shoulders and encircling the back. They may be inflated by either self-contained means such as carbon dioxide cartridges activated by pulling of a cord, or manual blow tubes with a one-way valve for inflation by exhalation of the wearer. Some inflatable life vests include a self triggering inflation device which reacts to salt/fresh water or responds to water pressure when submerged, thereby causing the inflatable life vest to inflate. Regardless of whether a manual pull cord or automatic trigger is used, a pin punctures the cartridge/canister and the carbon dioxide gas escapes into the sealed air chamber, causing the life vest to inflate and keep the wearer afloat.
Drifting in open seas and international waters, as would be encountered by survivors of accidents experienced on long commercial or pleasure sea voyages, commercial airliners and even military carriers, requires measures to assist survival when experiencing extreme conditions like, perhaps, extended periods in the water. Life vests have, therefore, been lined with pockets and attachment points for distress signals and survival aids such as: a handheld two-way radio, emergency beacon, signal mirror, sea marker dye, smoke or light signal flare, strobe light, first-aid supplies, concentrated nutritional items, water purification supplies, shark repellent, knife, or pistol.
However, the ocean is vast, and complications can arise. For example, a person wearing a life vest can drift for days before he/she is rescued. Often times the life vest is just not enough. A life vest is a singular flotation device designed to keep the wearer held in an upright position. However, it will not keep the wearer, whether in good physical condition or injured when entering the water, from eventually experiencing fatigue or possible hypothermia after long term exposure to wind driven waves or cold water temperatures. The life vest does not offer the luxury of keeping the wearer completely out of the water and away from the elements associated therewith, as would be provided by a life raft.
A life raft is a piece of safety equipment used to provide emergency transport for people to get away from an endangered or sinking vessel. A life raft is also designed to provide reasonable shelter that, hopefully, will protect the occupants until they are found and rescued. It is also recommended, or in many cases required, that a life raft be placed on board boats, larger yachts and ships of varying sizes. An inflatable life raft, as the name suggests, is a form of a life raft which can be folded and stored when not in use, and then inflated at the time of an emergency. Similar to life vests, inflatable life rafts are made from a durable material able to withstand rapid inflation and the effects of exposure to water. The self contained automatic inflation system can be activated with a pull tab enabling the raft to be inflated easily and quickly. Life rafts are capable of being stored in a partially or totally collapsed state, in contrast to life boats which are of a solid construction and used primarily with large ocean going vessels.
In emergency situations, where there may only be one life boat or raft available to a plurality of people, many individuals are left without the benefit thereof, and thus with only a life vest as a means of survival. It would be beneficial for the individual in the water to also have a life raft to provide adequate shelter and mode of transit while he/she awaits rescue. Thus, what is lacking in the art is a one person life raft that is securable to a person in a similar fashion to a life vest and is manually or automatically deployed.